The cars of Giovanni Agnelli - picture special

If the 125's boxy style looks dated today, the interior is still a gem: airy, comfortable and a reminder of how clear and uncluttered ‘60s cabins used to be. The big thin steering wheel is lovely to look and hold, but in today’s world, the connection to what the front wheels are doing is alas far from sharp.

After his 1952 car crash in which his leg was badly broken, Agnelli preferred a two pedal transmission, which explains why the 125 has a rare-for-its-day automatic gearbox.

The 125 feels nicely balanced and decently quick for its age but the brakes need a firm push to slow the car down. Lovely period details throughout, though, and a very special number plate – A00000 TO, a super-exclusive Torinese version of  ‘A1’ – to top it all off.

L’Avvocato was also very much into estates and commissioned at least four based on the Fiat 130: a big 3.2-litre V6 luxury saloon from the early 1970s and akin to the Granada of its day.

His brother Umberto’s 130 from 1972 shows the way with a tidy ‘Familiare’ estate conversion created by Fiat Centro Stile. This is a giant of a car with a big rear bench seat and huge luggage bay. It feels nevertheless surprisingly lively. That grumbly V6 with 160bhp on tap makes a great noise, accelerates with verve and has no fear of high revs.

You sit low down on a flat, well upholstered seat, and ahead there’s a long, even flatter bonnet to peer over. The dash and wood laid centre console, with simple flick switches and T-shaped gearlever, are all gloriously 1970s retro.

How does it drive? Pretty well actually, at least within the confines of our short Turin route where it points well into turns and accelerates and brakes smoothly. But being relatively softly sprung, it’s probably best as an autostrada cruiser. However, with a three-speed auto transmission, you might not want to think too deeply perhaps about those V6 fuel bills.

Gianni Agnelli had a designer wicker box put on the roof of his 130 estate, which he used mainly in St Moritz and was one of the cars displayed last year in Turin at a special retrospective marking the 10th anniversary of his death.

Remember the Fiat 130 coupé? Agnelli had an impossibly stylish three-door estate version made of that, too. Called the 'Shooting Brake Maremma', it was built in 1975 especially for him by Pininfarina and also came out at last year’s Turin expo.

Agnelli car numero tre is an outwardly standard-looking 131 Supermirafiori, but again, all is not what it seems. The 131 was a simple three-box saloon and effectively Italy’s answer to the Cortina. From there, Agnelli had the team at Abarth breathe on the 131’s 2.0-litre twin cam, adding a supercharger and bumping power up to 150bhp.

This particular 131S, with air-con and, once again, Agnelli’s favoured automatic ’box, clearly looks the most lived-in of the three. Registered in January 1983 and now showing 53,772 kilometres, it was reputedly one of Italy’s first to have a telephone (hence the aerial on the roof). The right side of the dash was also cut out to carry his bodyguard’s walkie-talkie, and now sports a makeshift screwed-on cover.

Still, with supercharger conversion (close to a Lancia Volumex of that era) and other trick stuff such as Michelin TRX tyres, a limited-slip differential, an Abarth steering wheel and a 124mph top end, this was no ordinary 131, and that’s before the Agnelli connection is factored in.

While it’s understated to look at today, the 13 is certainly the best of the three to drive. The supercharged Fiat twin cam is lively, sounds keen and of course has plentiful low down torque, pulling easily from 1500rpm or so. The automatic box, hardly the enthusiast’s top choice, of course, nevertheless shifts smoothly and easily.